Houston Rockets Fined $150,000 by NBA for Commenting on Dwight Howard

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The NBA fined the Houston Rockets $150,000 for speaking publicly about their dealings with Dwight Howard during the restricted period of nine-day moratorium.

During that time no public comments were to be made officially until July 10 according to ESPN, something general manager Daryl Morey and Kevin McHale both did during this time.

The Atlanta Hawks were also fined in June for making comments on Howard as well as an unnamed third team, with the Rockets being fined for writing scouting reports on their site.

Howard will reportedly sign a deal with the Rockets for $88 million over four years.

According to 630WPro Jeremy Lin along with Omer Asik were reportedly being shopped around in an effort to clear more cap space for Howard, but Morey, shot down those rumors and stuck to his guns acquiring the big man without losing any of the core. "Both with Omer and Jeremy, we feel like they're good fits for Dwight," Morey told the Houston Chronicle. "Omer and Dwight would give us the best (centers) in the league in combination. Jeremy is an attacking guard, great in pick-and-roll, a great fit for Dwight. Dwight works great with shooting and attacking guards."

The initial report came from Alex Kennedy of Hoops World.

"The Rockets continue to gauge interest in Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik around the league. If they sign Dwight Howard, both players may be moved," Kennedy tweeted.

Howard left around $30 million on the table to leave the Los Angeles Lakers after a season of ups and downs and injuries. He also did not seem to mesh well with Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash.